Recorder flute



RECORDER FLUTE Filed Aug. 24, 1966 FIG.E`

BY l q ATTO R N EY S UnitedStates Patent Olitice 3,363,498 Patented Jan. 16, 1968 3,363,498 RECORDER FLUTE Gerhard Rudolf Uebel and Peter Rudolf Uebel, both of Wohlhausen, Vogtland, Germany Filerl' Aug. 24, 1966, Ser. No. 574,722 3 Claims. (Cl. 84-3S4) ABSTRACT F THE DISCLGSURE An improved recorder liute with novel spacing of the holes for greater ease of playing the same.

middle linger hole must be covered and the thumb hole i opened. Therefore this note is diliicult to linger and considera-ble practice is needed to master it in rapid runs. For sounding the higher octave, it was hitherto necessary partly to cover the thumb hole. Considerable dexterity and skill as well as a good ear are required even of a practised player to master this easily.

lt is an object of the present invention to facilitate the playing of recorder flutes particularly for children and beginners, by permitting the C-major scale to be played by lifting the lingers consecutively and by making the lingering for sounding the C-sharp and the higher octave more easy.

This and other objects and advantages of the invention will become obvious from the following detailed description.

Accordingly, the solution of the problem contemplated is that of changing the relative spacing of the holes as well as the diameters of the holes.

The present invention solves this problem by shifting the thumb hole out of alignment with the foretinger hole and towards the mouthpiece, and by reducing its diameter for the C-sharp to be intoned when the forelinger hole is covered and all the other holes opened. The displacement of the thumb hole in a liute-ineC is about l5 mm. and varies in differently pitched instruments of this family of liutes. Furthermore,` the diameter of the forelinger hole is so reduced that when all holes are opened except the thumb hole, the instrument plays the note E 'More particularly, the invention proposes to dispose the forelinger hole with respect to its distance from the other linger holes and to give this hole a diameter in relation to the axial bore of the liute (mensuration), so that when it is opened the first octave sounds. The proposed construction of a recorder flute facilitates the instrument'being played by children and beginners and it also makes the change-over to playing other woodwind instruments, Isuch as Boehm clarinettes, far more easy. The C-sharp is played simply by opening the thumb hole and closing the left forelinger hole, whereas the upper octave is sounded simply by lifting the left forelinger.

According to the present invention, a recorder is provided comprising a mouthpiece and tube, the tube being provided with eight apertures, seven of said apertures being spaced along the upper side of said tube, and one aperture being provided in the lower side of the tube, said one aperture being a thumb hole, said thumb hole being in closer proximity to the mouthpiece than the first of the upper apertures, said lirst upper aperture being a forelinger hole, the diameter of the said thumb hole being such that when the said forefinger hole is closed and all other apertures are open, the note C-sharp can be intoned.

By the provision of a thumb holder in a flute according to the invention, the iiute can be held between the mouth and the right thumb when the C and the C- sharp in the lirst octave are played (i.e., the unstopped notes C and C-sharp). i

Referring now to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a conventional iiute of the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a ilute according to the present invention.

In FIGURE l, the linger holes on the upper side are consecutively numbered 1 to 9. The holes 6 and 8 as well as 7 and 9 are paired side by side. The thumb hole 10, (indicated as a dotted circle), is on the lower side of the flute and axially aligns with the forelinger hole 1.

In FIGURE 2, the linger holes on the upper side are correspondingly numbered. Holes 8 and 9 alongside the` holes 6 and 7 are absent. The thumb hole 10 on the lo'wer side, (FIG. 2), is shifted towards the mouthpiece with respect to the forelinger hole by about l5 mm.

The diameters of the linger holes 1, 5, 10 in FIG. 2 are substantially smaller than the corresponding holes in FIG. l. The linger hole 4 in FIG. 2 is larger than the corresponding hole 4 in the flute in FIG. 1. The thumb holder 11 is fitted approximately diametrically opposite the nger hole 4.

For playing the C-major scale, all the linger holes are first covered and then opened consecutively. For playing C-sharp, the thumb hole 16 is opened and the forefinger hole 1 is closed. For playing C (all linger holes open), the liute is held at the mouthpiece end by the mouth and otherwise only by the right hand thumb in the thumb holder 11 pushing the flute towards the mouth.

Various modilications of the liute of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit or scope thereof, and it is to be understood that the invention is to be limited only as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. A recorder llute comprising a mouthpiece and tube, the tube being provided with eight apertures, seven of said apertures being spaced along the upper side of said tube and one aperture being provided in the lower side of the tube, said one aperture being a thumb hole, said thumb hole being about l5 mm. closer to the mouthpiece than the lirst of the upper apertures, said lirst upper aperture being a forefinger hole, the diameter of the said thumb hole being such that when the said forefinger hole is closed and all other apertures are open, the note of C-sharp can be intoned.

2. A recorder flute of claim 1, wherein the diameter of the said forenger hole is such that when all apertures are closed with the exception of the said thumb hole, the note of C can be intoned.

3. A recorder ilute of claim 1, wherein the said forenger hole is so spaced with respect to the other apertures in the upper side of the tube and its diameter in relation to the axial bore of the tube so chosen that the rst octave can be intoned when said forenger hole is operi.

4 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,847,892 8/1958 Laas et al. 84-380 5 FOREIGN PATENTS 582,347 11/1946- Great Britain.

RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner'.

10 CHARLES OVERBEY, A ssstant Examiner. 

